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Walking into the DNA lab, Ifan watched as the newest member of the forensics team, one Doctor John Branson, place a crucifix similar to the one seen in the photo of Father Beckett.
"So Doctor Branson please tell me that is our murder weapon." Ifan sighed, as Branson swung round in his chair, his large gut spilling over the jeans from under his plaid shirt.
"Yes and no Detective." Branson replied, his North Dakotan drawl sounding as out of place compared to Ifan's native Californian tongue. "As the photograph showed, there was a hidden blade sheathed inside the crucifix. And tests showed that there was blood on the blade as well as a fingerprint on the hilt."
"So Beckett did use this knife to kill the woman in the photograph or Natasha Lyle then?" Ifan asked, as Branson brought up an image of the fingerprint on his computer screen.
"The blood on the blade is male, I ran the DNA through CODIS and got a match. The blood belongs to a Benjamin Bailey, he was arrested for burglary eight months ago and was released on bail." Branson stated, as Bailey's mugshot appeared on screen over the fingerprint.
"So Beckett potentially has three murders to his name?" Ifan asked.
"No the fingerprint doesn't match the exemplar prints we took from Father Beckett." Branson replied, before he looked over Ifan's shoulder. "Rumour is that our main witness is a ghost?"
"Only if you believe in that. Ghosts don't use crossbows to stop thieves." Ifan stated, as he headed for the door. "Hopefully those thugs will have given Jasmine a face for us to find."
"Yeah ghosts don't, but criminals do. When I was in El Paso there was a criminal known as the Patron Saint of Crime, she shot police officers for fun." Branson stated. "We always figured that there was more than one of them, so even though the original was killed."
"I heard of that case Doctor, but I doubt that this is the work of the Ghost of the Patron Saint of Crime." Ifan snorted, as he left the lab. "Let me know if you get a match on that fingerprint."
**
"You owe El Aquila money China Doll!" One of the gangsters grunted as he held a gun against the elderly oriental woman's head, pure terror visible on her bespectacled face.
"I don't even know an El Aquila?" The woman replied, as a second gang member walked over to the cash register and pulled the draw open.
"You're going to!" A third gangster sneered, as he reclined against one of the washing machines, his SMG resting against his thigh. "If you want your business to thrive then you're going to pay 40% of what you make every month to El Aquila." He added, as the thug at the cash register started stuffing money down his shirt.
"I am not paying. This is my money, I earned it." The woman snapped, as she pushed the gun away. "Get out of my store before I call the police."
"Funny thing is, it's not just the money you've earned you insipid crone!" The first thug grunted. "You've just earned a bullet, free of charge, from El Aquil...argh!" Before he could finish a crossbow bolt through into his shoulder, the projectile paralysing his arm. Jumping into action the thug with SMG scanned the front of the laundrette, as the old woman dropped to the floor to avoid being shot.
"Can you see it?" The gangster with the paralysed arm yelled, as he pulled the bolt out and dropped it onto the floor.
"Nah bro!" The second man grunted, as he pulled a .45 calibre pistol from his waistband. "There ain't no broken windows, it's like the shot came from inside the room." He added, as the three thugs looked around the room for the shooter. "We're the only ones here besides the old lady." He added, as a pair of bolts stabbed into the back of the SMG wielder, his body convulsing as he fell to the floor.
"What the hell?" The first gunman spat, as a dark figure sprung out from behind his fallen comrade and tackled the thug with the money, its blade slashing through his shirt and sending bank notes flying everywhere. "You don't scare me, you hear me freak, I ain’t afraid of you!" He bellowed as the mysterious figure looked him, its face covered by a black hood.
Taking a few steps forward, the figure in black watched as the gunmen stumbled backwards, before tripping over backwards. "I'll kill you!" He snarled before looking around the laundrette, his mysterious assailant now vanished into the night.
"Pah such poor acting." The elderly woman stated, as the door to the back of the laundrette opened and a man dressed in leathers walked in, his face covered by a mask. "Here's your camera, you should have no trouble finding your Ghost." She added, as she removed her glasses and handed them to the masked man, a wicked smirk spread across her elderly features.
**
Detective Clarissa Loach stormed into the break room, a scowl marring her usually attractive face. Looking up from his coffee, Ifan closed the folder containing the sketch of 'the Ghost' the two frightened thieves from the church had supplied Jasmine Lyons, the precincts sketch artist.
"Father Beckett has just been released without charge!" Clarissa hissed, as she sat down at the same table as Ifan. "He's guilty as sin, but because of pressure Cardinal Lowe placed on the Commissioner, he's walking out of here as we speak. What's more we have been asked to drop the case, apparently the Cardinal's representatives feel that Father Beckett would be discriminated against if he were investigated by..." She looked up at Ifan, her face creased up in rage.
"...by me?" Ifan asked. "Do they honestly think that just because I am a Muslim I have nothing better to do than persecute a Christian priest?" He added through gritted teeth, as his pager went off. "It's Branson, he's found a partial print on a set of rosary beads that match the one found on the crucifix, as well as a non-human genetic sample which he sent up to Trace."
"Is that the sketch of 'the Ghost'?" Loach asked as she removed the file and looked inside. Running her hand over the image, she studied the drawing of a woman with full cupid-bow lips and a slight nose, the rest of her features covered by a hood. "There's not a lot to go on here." She mused, there isn't even a skin colour mentioned."
"It's more than we had to go on a few hours ago." Ifan replied coolly despite the boiling rage he felt bubbling up from the inside. "Maybe if we find her, we'll find where the missing bodies are, not to mention our second killer."
**
At one end of the table sat a young Chinese man, his green hair clashing with the suit he was wearing, at the other was El Aquila, his lips locked round the electronic cigarette, a puff of blueberry scented smoke filling the air. Each man seemed hell bent on starting the other into surrender, something that put the assorted bodyguards associated with each man on edge.
"Mr Eagle I don't know why you called this meeting but I can assure you that you're not welcome in this city." The Chinese man stated, his eyes still boring into El Aquila. "This cities organised crime is controlled by the Dragon Eel, and does not tolerate interference from thugs like you."
"Mr Pixxu, you'll find my arrival in the city will be beneficial to both your operation here, and the Dragon Eel's overseas." El Aquila stated, as Bonita placed her carry-on onto the table and backed away. "I have a unique business proposal for you." He added, as two of Mr Pixxu's bodyguards approached the case and scanned it, before backing off themselves, with one whispering something in his boss’s ear.
"You brought hand luggage to sell to me!" Mr Pixxu cackled, as Bonita walked up to the case, unzipped it and removed the bottle of fruit flavoured water. "You amuse me lao mo, not enough for me to tolerate your presence, but enough to earn you a quick death for wasting my time." He added, as El Aquila put down his cigarette.
"Did you bring the chemist like I requested?" El Aquila asked, as Bonita removed the case, leaving the bottle behind. "If you did have him run some narcotic tests on the water." He suggested. Rolling his eyes Mr Pixxu got up from his seat and walked over to the water bottle, as a fat oriental man dressed in a suit took his place.
"Forgive my son's rudeness Mr Eagle." The fat man stated, as 'Mr Pixxu' took a test sample of the water. "And mine as well, I assumed that this was a ploy for an assassination rather than the business you claimed it to be."
"And if it had been you who had contacted me I would have done the same." El Aquila replied, as Mr Pixxu's son looked at the sample, before running the liquid through a narcotics kit handed to him by one of his bosses henchmen. "Find anything?" He asked innocently.
"The glucose solution in the drink is laced with cocaine." Pixxu's son stated, as he handed the narcotics kit's results to his father.
"Direct from my farm in El Salvador and bottled there too. My daughter has already demonstrated that we can get it through customs undetected." El Aquila announced as he shot a smile at Bonita. "There is approximately ten grams of cocaine diffused in the water, with a centrifuge you can separate the narcotics out."
"I think I understand." Pixxu grunted, as he placed the narcotic kit down on the table. "Now I have to ask what do you want in return for access to this narcotic formula."
"Nothing, but I would be more than happy to sell you my product laced water." El Aquila stated, "You pay me, and then you get a drug you can send to the other side of the world and charge through the nose for. So do we have a deal?"
**
Clarissa peered at the image on the computer screen in the Trace lab before walking over to Dr Jan Fisher as she removed a slide from under the microscope.
"It really is a day for animals." Fisher murmured, "First I have scales from an African Crowned Eagle and now slime from a New Zealand Mud Snail, guess which beastie is yours."
"So how does a snail from New Zealand get here?" Clarissa asked, as Jan brought up a map of the city.
"The species is an invasive water snail found in standing fresh water." Jan announced, as she overlaid the map with a chemical compound. "Our Mud Snail was sick when it slithered over the crucifix. It had been poisoned by a species specific molluscicide that is being experimented with at Golden Gate Park."
"Is there anything that we can use to narrow down the search area?" Clarissa asked, as Jan zoomed in on one of the lakes in Golden Gate Park.
"The slime was fresh suggesting that the murder weapon and the rosary were buried a while back, and was later dug up, probably within the last twenty four hours." Jan explained. "You’re looking for recent excavations in shoreline mud."
"I'll call Ifan," Clarissa sighed, as she took one last look at the snail on the screen. "It looks like we're heading to the park, hopefully there is some trace on who dug up the weapon who killed Ben Bailey, and maybe who killed him as well."
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